SPORTSBIZ -- KEVIN KLEPS

The Browns work to make that stadium seat more attractive than your couch

Blog Entry: March 05, 2013 11:31 AM | Author: KEVIN KLEPS

Many of us play fantasy football.

Most of us have smart phones.

We enjoy the NFL experience — only our idea of how that is defined is much different than it was even five years ago.

The NFL doesn't have many problems, but one of its biggest is it is so popular — especially with fantasy football players and gamblers — that staying home and watching every game on the Sunday Ticket and/or the RedZone channel is often more enticing than going to the game, spending a lot of money and having cell phone access that is spotty at best.

The league, to its credit, has been taking steps to address the stadium experience, including making free Wi-Fi available at every game in the coming years.

The Browns took a big leap in that regard Monday, when they froze the price of season tickets for the fifth consecutive year and eliminated the requirement that was tied to the majority of the season-ticket purchases at FirstEnergy Stadium — that fans must also buy a personal seat license.

For Browns diehards, there are still benefits of purchasing a PSL — mainly the ability to sell the seat in later years or transfer it to a family member. But the fact that it is no longer a must in order to buy a season ticket anywhere in the stadium is a wise move for a franchise that played at 91% capacity last season and at 90% the year before.

“If you're a PSL holder, you have an asset that has value,” Browns spokesman Neal Gulkis said. “You can still transfer your seats. The value is dependent on the marketplace. It's an asset of which now there is unlimited inventory.”

Websites such as PSL Source allow fans to sell their PSL's. The site has Browns PSL's available for prices that range from $250 per seat in the upper level to $6,250 per PSL for a six-seat area at the 45-yard line. Those costs don't include the price of a season ticket.

Fortunately, those costs remain low by NFL standards.

Team Marketing Report's outstanding Fan Cost Index says the Browns had the cheapest average non-premium ticket in the league in 2012, $54.20. The NFL's average ticket last year cost $78.38, a rise of 2.5%.

However, 21 of the 32 teams froze their ticket prices or lowered them last year, according to Team Marketing Report.

The Browns' average price of $54.20 was more than $4 cheaper than the next-most reasonable ticket — the Buffalo Bills, at $58.36.

Team Marketing Report also shows the Browns and Bengals had the cheapest beer prices, though the Browns charged $5 for a 16-ounce brew, and the Bengals the same for a 12-ouncer. (Whether or not cheap beer at an NFL game is a good thing is a matter that could be debated for hours.)

The Browns also “led” the league in Team Marketing Report's 2012 Fan Cost Index, which is defined as the average price of four tickets, two small draft beers, four small soft drinks, four hot dogs, parking, two programs and two caps (why the latter two are included in costs for 2012 is beyond me). The Browns' norm in that category of $343.80 was the second-lowest in the league (the Jaguars led the way at $342.70).

The reasonable prices, in the minds of many, will also need to coincide with better in-stadium technology.

In the news release the Browns issued Monday, team president Alec Scheiner said cell phone service “will undergo a significant upgrade starting in 2013.”

Gulkis said “it's too soon to know” if the team will have free Wi-Fi at FirstEnergy Stadium in 2013.

The Kyrie effect

Bill Simmons' Grantland column last Friday, March 1 on the NBA's most favorable contracts mentioned the value of the Cavaliers, according to Forbes, was $476 million in 2009. Four years later, the Cavs were valued at $434 million, a drop of 8.8% that can certainly be attributed in large part to LeBron James' “Decision.”

However, if you dig deeper into the Forbes report, you'll notice that the Cavs' franchise value increased 32% from 2012 to 2013.

The Cavaliers' $434 million value ranks 16th in the 30-team NBA, but their $128 million revenue, according to Forbes, ranks ninth, as does their operating income of $18.6 million.

Kyrie Irving isn't James, but the All-Star point guard is certainly good for business.

The Cavs' 2013 value is $59 million above the $375 million Dan Gilbert paid to purchase the team in 2005. That value will continue to rise as Irving's popularity soars and the benefits of the league's new collective bargaining agreement take further hold.

Forbes' analysis also shows that all but one NBA team (Toronto) had its value grow by at least 11% in 2013. The Raptors' value rose 6% to $405 million.

You can follow me on Twitter for sports information, analysis and, hopefully, updates on the Browns' transition from being very affordable to — let's get radical here — very good.

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